Why a Steady Job is bad for a Successful Career

Why a steady job is bad for a successful career

That’s right. I’m suggesting that a steady job is detrimental to a successful career. Hear me out, though, on why.

We are taught the value of loyalty and stability well before we even enter into the workforce. It’s ingrained into us to pay our dues, stick with it and “be the company guy”. That hard work will eventually be recognized. And in reality, there’s nothing wrong with having those characteristics.

But at what point does having that mentality start to hurt you?

Loyalty isn’t a bad thing…to a point.

Loyalty isn’t a bad virtue to have. But having too much loyalty can harm your career progression. Let’s take a look at a couple of scenarios.

The Tale of Your Average Joe.

Most of us can relate to this story:

Joe has been at the same company since college. He got hired as an entry-level accountant and has been a steady worker. He even got his CPA after a few years and knows he’d like to lead a team eventually. His boss has given him decent reviews for years, and Joe has grown slowly in the salary band.

He’s been with the company and in this department for the better part of 5 years and has had a couple of minor promotions into enriched roles doing similar work. He gets assigned an occasional project and generally does a good job with them.

Eventually, Joe’s boss leaves the organization. Joe hopes to be considered for the role, even goes as far as putting his name in the ring. But his organization sees him as a good worker-bee – a valuable, steady contributor, but not a leader yet. So they go to the outside market to fill the role.

Pretty disappointed, Joe keeps plugging away, thinking that eventually, he’ll get his day in the sun. A couple more years pass, and the department expands.

A new grad starts in an entry-level role in the same department, getting paid only $8k less than Joe.

While a bit disgusted, Joe justifies his compensation because he’s mostly vested in a 401(k), finally got his 3rd week of vacation, and he’s bound to get a bonus this year.

I worked all this time, and all I got was a lousy layoff

Now nearly a 10-year vet, Joe gets word that his company has hit a rough patch. Rumors of layoffs circulate the water cooler. Joe’s safe; he’s been at this long and knows all the processes like the back of his hand. He’s a valuable contributor and has to be next in line for a promotion.

But the bad news comes. One day Joe gets called into the HR Manager’s office, who slides a folder with the terms of his separation across the desk. All of his loyalty and patience…out the door in an instant.

As he works to shake off the trauma, he soon realizes that others five years younger than him have already been promoted into the role he SHOULD have had. He’s behind in his career and needs to catch up fast. And it dawns on him. Loyalty and years of service only hurt his career in the long run.

This type of thing happens more than you’d realize.

So where did Joe go wrong?

Joe’s what I consider to be the average candidate. He’s steady, if unspectacular, with the skills to do his job. He’s had some successes in his career and is generally a likable guy. But he’s not aggressive and didn’t reach out for opportunities. He waited for them to come to him. He’s the type of candidate I see as a recruiter 95% of the time. He’s exactly the candidate who blends into the crowd.

If you’ve watched my earlier videos, you will recall we get A LOT of candidates for roles. If you’re like Joe, you’re competing with 100’s versions of yourself.

Let’s look at another candidate.

Jill started off her career at the same time as Joe. She knew early on that she wanted to lead a team in finance, so she started to carve out a master plan. Knowing she’d need her CPA to move forward, she started her certification process immediately after getting hired.

She also knew that she’d need some project experience and, ideally be exposed to other aspects of the business. So she took the initiative to put together a few improvement ideas and present them to her boss. Impressed, they quickly assigned her more elaborate projects to lead.

Networking your way to the top

By networking with other department heads, she got noticed throughout the company as someone to know. She quickly got promoted into a team lead position with a small salary bump.

However, she realized that her boss wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He was a lifer at the company with no intention of retiring anytime soon. While the company loved her, they couldn’t offer her a role to keep her satisfied for long.

She casually mentioned her career desires to some peers at an industry event she’d been a regular at. And within a few months, someone in her broader network reached out to her with an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. After just three years of service, she moved to a major company that would look amazing on her resume, which provided her with a 30% pay increase, a title, and the exact experience she needed to continue her career trajectory.

So in just 3 years, Jill had passed Joe in both experience, level, and compensation.

So let’s talk about company loyalty deeper.

With Joe, we have a case of someone waiting around, paying his dues, getting small nuggets tossed to him, and eventually getting laid off.

Whereas Jill was aggressive, knew exactly what she wanted in her career, and didn’t use stability as a reason to keep her from achieving her goals. She’s a superstar candidate.

Now there is something to be said for having loyalty, but not to the point where it hurts your career.

What are your career goals?

If you’re new to your career, or even mid-career, it’s important to know what you want out of your work life. And develop a plan to achieve it. Otherwise, you’ll end up being an average Joe. If you haven’t figured out your career goal yet, maybe you’re in the wrong career, to begin with. Consider making a change into something you’re more passionate about.

The point is that someone like Jill knows exactly where she’s heading and has that target insight with every move she makes. If it doesn’t help her achieve her goal, she’s not interested.

Knowing this will also help you during a job search – you won’t waste time on positions and roles that do not add value to your career.

Think of yourself as a free agent.

In sports, a free agent is someone who’s able to move to any team that offers the best opportunity. The most in-demand free agents work hard to improve their skills, and abilities and know they want to be a “starter” in a major market.

Sure, the team is investing a sizable amount to secure their talents to help them win, but the superstar is in command.

You need to consider yourself as a free agent as well. Honing your career skills, even how to approach your career, is a tool you’ll take with you anywhere you go. If you find yourself “paying your dues” for longer than you should, it may end up hurting your career progression in the long run.

As a free agent, you should always train and work to improve yourself. Develop your skills to help position you to land the best jobs that will help propel your career forward.

Remember, you don’t owe the company anything other than a fair effort for fair pay. Because you don’t have an agent looking out for you. You have to make your own opportunities.

The difference between job hopping and career growth

Now, this doesn’t mean you should be hopping jobs every time you don’t get your way. In some instances, paying your dues is part of the development process. Learning how to do a job is a critical part of your growth. The same can be said for navigating company culture and developing networking skills. So don’t get too far ahead of yourself and tender your resignation just yet.

But if you’re truly ready for the next role and being held back by the company, that’s a sign it’s time to update your resume.

Whereas someone who leaves a role simply for a few extra bucks could be considered a job hopper, the person who leaves for a role that will help them achieve a career object won’t be, especially if it’s calculated and makes sense to a recruiter.

Perhaps the company you’re with can’t offer you the types of experience or the mentor you need. And a similar role in a different company. It’s all part of the strategy.

So make sure every role you accept has a purpose behind it, even if it’s considered a lateral move.

Salary and Compensation

We all work for an income. So salary consideration should certainly be an essential part of any decision. Make sure you add value, and the income will follow. It pays (no pun intended) to stay current on your industry’s salary trends to ensure you’re being compensated fairly. And if you have the performance, results, and data to support a higher salary, do not feel out of line asking for a raise.

Now here’s an unfortunate fact.

By staying at the same company and in a similar role for a long time, you will almost certainly lag behind the open market because most companies adjust through a merit increase (usually 1-3% per year). At the same time, promotional opportunities can net between 10-30% increases by switching jobs.

My hiring managers used to get sticker shock when entry-level engineers commanded salaries only 10% below their long-tenured engineers. That’s just how it works. If you stay in a role or company for too long, you’re going to get passed up in compensation unless you get sizable raises through promotions.

So should you stay in your steady job?

Again, I’m not advocating switching jobs to switch jobs. But if you are stuck in a role and not adequately compensated, you may want to consider if it fits your broader career goal. Being proactive, making calculated moves, and knowing your worth will help you achieve your career goals much faster. And it’s less likely you’ll end up on the unemployment line.

If you need help with your career switch, I will encourage you to visit the rest of my site www.alifeafterlayoff.com. I’ve got tons of free resources there. Also, join my Facebook community and get questions answered by a community of people just like you.

And be sure to grab a free copy of my guide: 6 Ways To Get Noticed By Recruiters.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this!

Till next time,

Bryan